Mushrooms have been used for their natural health benefits for thousands of years, and they’ve only been growing more popular as of late. Whether or not you enjoy the taste of mushrooms in your food, you may want to try them out for their medicinal properties!
You won’t even have to eat these mushrooms to reap their benefits, since most medicinal mushrooms work best when ground into a powder. Consider purchasing the powder to add to a beverage of your choosing, or buying mushroom supplements.
One of the most significant medicinal benefits of mushrooms is their power to boost your immune system. If you’re interested in types of fungi that have this effect, keep reading!
- Shitake
Shiitake mushrooms, or Lentinula edodes, are popular to eat, but you may not have known that they also have plenty of health benefits! These mushrooms can give your immune system a boost.
Research has found that shiitake mushrooms can help treat conditions such as the common cold, as they result in higher secretion of helpful immune compounds. This also means they can help with gut immunity and decrease inflammation.
As with many of the other mushrooms on this list, shiitake also may help fight cancer cells. Shiitake contains the glucan lentinan, which is used by doctors in China and Japan to treat tumors.
Shiitake mushrooms have also proven to help promote better liver and heart health through lowering LDL and cholesterol. They also contain a lot of great nutrients such as Vitamin D, B vitamins, and phytonutrients.
- Reishi
One of the most well-known mushrooms for benefiting your immune system is reishi, also known as Ganoderma lingzhi. This mushroom has more than earned its popularity.
The anti-inflammatory properties of reishi can help with the effects of high-cholesterol while the polysaccharides can encourage growth of beneficial bacteria. Reishi has also been found to help with treating and preventing many diseases, including cancer.
In this way, reishi can be a big help to your immune system. Your cardiovascular and nervous systems may also benefit from this mushroom.
Reishi also has several other good qualities, too, such as boosting your mood. Reishi contains the compound triterpene, which has calming properties that can help with anxiety, depression, stress, and even sleep.
- Chaga
Chaga mushrooms, or Inonotus obliquus, are also great for fighting off inflammation, as well as free radicals. This is because they contain antioxidants, which are great for your immune system.
They can also fight oxidative stress for anti-aging effects, slow the growth of cancer cells through betulin, and lower cholesterol. Chaga mushrooms are very dark brown in color and grow primarily on birch trees, so you can’t miss them!
Apart from benefiting your skin and your immune system, chaga can help with digestion and cleansing. Not to mention the fact that it’s an adaptogen, which means stress relief. Some people even refer to chaga as the “king of mushrooms,” and this explains why.
- Turkey Tail
Coriolus versicolor, more commonly referred to as turkey tail mushrooms for the brown rings on their surfaces, are also very good for your immune system. This is mainly because of a compound called polysaccharide-K, which is very effective.
PSK is in fact an approved anticancer drug in Japan, since turkey tail mushrooms have been found to improve survival rates in people with cancer, help fight off leukemia cells, and boost the immune systems of those undergoing chemotherapy.
Turkey tail has also been used to treat fungal infections, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and metastasis. It can help with liver health and gut support, too.
You can find turkey tail mushrooms growing on deciduous trees, which means it typically grows all year round!
- Cordyceps
A rare fungus that grows only in areas with high altitudes, cordyceps— otherwise known as Ophiocordyceps sinensis —contains many beneficial compounds. These include polysaccharides, cordycepin, and cordycepic acid.
One study found that people who took supplements containing cordyceps extract had increased activity in their natural killer immune cells. The same group also had improved immune system regulation.
Much like the other mushrooms on this list, however, cordyceps have many other good qualities as well. Many people use these mushrooms to help increase energy levels and stamina, since cordyceps can help with blood flow and oxygen.
Lots of athletes like cordyceps, since it can help improve exercise and athletic performance. In addition, cordyceps being an adaptogen means that it will help relieve stress. Lung health, kidney health, and sexual health are also all things people associate with this mushroom.
- Maitake
Maitake is another mushroom that’s used for both culinary and medicinal purposes, and is also known as Grifola frondosa. People may refer to them as “dancing mushrooms” or Hen of the Woods, too.
These mushrooms have shown results when used to treat breast cancer, melanoma, and hepatoma cells when tested on animals.
According to such research, maitake mushrooms help your immune system because they contain proteoglucan. The polysaccharides in maitake also may have anti-viral capabilities, specifically when it comes to fighting hepatitis B and HIV.
Your immune system isn’t the only thing that maitake mushrooms benefit, however. They can also help support your nervous system, digestion, blood sugar levels, as well as liver and cardiovascular health.
- Oyster
No, we’re not talking about seafood. Oyster mushrooms, genus name Pleurotus, have been found to help boost people’s immune systems as well. Two varieties of oyster mushroom are of particular note— Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus florida.
The former, Pleurotus ostreatus, contains polysaccharides that may activate natural killer cells in your immune system. This can help your body fight off harmful diseases, even cells that cause breast and lung cancer.
On the other hand if you consume extract of Pleurotus florida you’ll reap other benefits. These oyster mushrooms contain many active components, including polysaccharides, phenolics, and flavonoids.
The latter type of oyster mushroom has been found to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties through animal testing.
- Meshima
Meshima mushrooms are sometimes confused with turkey tail because of the way that they grow, but you can tell these apart by the distinct shape. People sometimes refer to them as “black hoof mushrooms,” because meshima looks like a horse’s hoof!
Also known as Phellinus linteus, these mushrooms are less popular but no less helpful.
When it comes to the best mushrooms for your immune system and general wellbeing, you definitely won’t want to leave meshima off the list. Immune function and cellular health are both important benefits.
Meshima has also been found to have anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties, like many of the other mushrooms listed above.
- Poria Cocos
Another potentially less well-known medicinal fungus is Poria Cocos, scientific name Wolfiporia extensa. While most often used to help people who have trouble falling asleep and maintaining healthy sleep schedules, these mushrooms have other pros.
Poria Cocos mushrooms encourage your body to keep normal hydration levels and stomach function. They can also assist with the health of your nervous system and memory.
Most importantly for our purposes, these mushrooms also seem to give your immune system a boost, and so are worth putting on this list for all their good properties.
You may have trouble finding Poria Cocos mushrooms, as they grow underground. But if you do happen across these mushrooms, they could be very useful!
- Lion’s Mane
Last but certainly not least— in fact, these mushrooms are one of the most well-known for immune health benefits on this list —is lion’s mane. Also called Hericium erinaceus, these mushrooms got their more popular name from the white fur-like substance that covers its surface.
You may know lion’s mane by other names as well, however! People also call this popular fungus pom pom mushroom, monkey head mushroom, and brain mushroom.
That last name is due to the mental benefits of lion’s mane, since this mushroom can help with focusing, memory, and overall cognitive function. Lion’s mane can help prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
It also encourages increased nerve growth through bioproteins and even digestive system health.
All of that aside, though, lion’s mane mushrooms have some of the best benefits if you’re looking to boost your immune system. Tests on animal cells have revealed that lion’s mane can encourage the growth of healthy gut microbiota and reduce tissue damage to the colon.
Research suggests that lion’s mane mushrooms can help with immune system regulation and overall health of people with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. Taking care of your gut can be a really important step towards immune system health.
Dr. Emil’s Total Gut Complex
For this exact reason, you may want to consider checking out our Total Gut Complex supplements. One of the active ingredients is lion’s mane as part of our prebiotic mushroom blend to stimulate healthy bacteria.
These supplements act as a probiotic and postbiotic as well, so they also help you to grow more beneficial bacteria and increase the benefits of existing healthy bacteria.
One bottle of our Total Gut Complex supplements will give you a thirty day supply, as each comes with sixty capsules for you to take twice a day. Always have at least eight ounces of water at the time.
Our Total Gut Complex blend contains extract from several other mushrooms on this list as well, so the supplements definitely have a lot of immune system benefits. Included in the ingredients is shiitake mushroom extract, maitake mushroom extract, and reishi mushroom extract.
The active ingredient in these supplements is 1,000mg of Tributyrin per serving, but each capsule contains 170mg of shiitake mushroom extract and 10mg of all the other mushroom extracts mentioned above.
Whether you’re interested in better gut health or improved immune function, you’ll definitely want to check out our Total Gut Complex supplements.
